The present invention relates to the field of data encoding and decoding, and in particular, data encoding/decoding for use in a home network communications system.
As computers become more and more cost effective for the everyday consumer and for small businesses, such computers become more plentiful for use within local area environments such as homes, office buildings and the like. For example, within a home a person with a computer in the bedroom, and another in the living room, may want to share common files, utilize a common digital subscriber line (DSL), or otherwise transfer information between the computers. Accordingly, various technologies are being developed for computer interconnection of multiple computers located within such environments. One example of such technologies are the Home Phoneline Network Alliance (HPNA) specifications for local area network (LAN) computer interconnection which utilize existing telephone lines within the local environment for the transmission of data packets between the computers. Another example is the use of existing power lines within the home as a transmission medium.